A record 27,817 civil service jobs are being advertised as demand for city-and county-level staff increases along with a growing retirement trend in the sector.

Applications opened on Oct 15 for 551 departments and institutes, including 61 that did not launch recruitment drives last year, such as the National Energy Administration.

Successful candidates will have to pass the 2016 national civil service exam, which starts on Nov 29, and those applicants found cheating could face heavy fines or up to three years in prison, according to the revised Criminal Law.

“China is facing increasing pressure as an aging society. Many central government agencies are having to deal with these issues,” said Zhang Yongsheng, vice-president of Zhonggong Education, which offers private training for exam hopefuls.

“Besides, as reform continues, many local government agencies are taking over new tasks. This means they have to enlarge their talent pool,” Zhang added.

Figures compiled by Zhonggong Education showed that city-and county-level vacancies accounted for about 91 percent of the total recruitment drive for civil servants.

As for the 5,569 new positions that have been created, about 95 percent are at city and county level as opposed to central government and provincial agencies.

To encourage candidates to work in remote areas, stringent standards on age, work experience and education have been lowered, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.